[RESOLVED] System Menu Fonts

I searched this forum for information on modifing system menu fonts for my vb6 app. I found references to "CoolMenu" and "Icon Menus" from vbAccelerator but I had problems with these choices.

CoolMenu would crash my VB6 IDE everytime I closed the my app.
Icon Menus wouldn't load because there was a missing "vbaIml6.ocx" file.

I found a thread on how to retrieve the system menu font using an API but it didn't reference how to set the font.

I would like to,
Save the system menu font when my app starts
Set the menu font when my app starts
Set the font back to the original setting when my app close.
I would like to keep the overhead of doing this to a minimum. I don't plan on using icons on my menus.

Could anyone provide any information on this subject?
Thanks

I found this on the web. As per the author, it is a very simple code to change the system ' NONCLIENTMETRICS like the the window title font, ' the message font,menu font using VB. You can also change ' other elements like status font etc ' in your window only or all the open windows ' like PLUS! or display settings (appearance) ' also it is possible to underline, strikethru fonts in ' your window with this code. This code is very useful ' if you are coding a multi-lingual software.

Hope this is what you want....

Code:

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<!--StartFragment-->'**************************************
'Windows API/Global Declarations for :Ch
'        ange System (Message, Menu, Caption) Fon
'        ts
'**************************************
 
 
Private Type LOGFONT
        lfHeight As Long
        lfWidth As Long
        lfEscapement As Long
        lfOrientation As Long
        lfWeight As Long
        lfItalic As Byte
        lfUnderline As Byte
        lfStrikeOut As Byte
        lfCharSet As Byte
        lfOutPrecision As Byte
        lfClipPrecision As Byte
        lfQuality As Byte
        lfPitchAndFamily As Byte
        lfFaceName(1 To 32) As Byte
        End Type
 
 
Private Type NONCLIENTMETRICS
        cbSize As Long
        iBorderWidth As Long
        iScrollWidth As Long
        iScrollHeight As Long
        iCaptionWidth As Long
        iCaptionHeight As Long
        lfCaptionFont As LOGFONT
        iSMCaptionWidth As Long
        iSMCaptionHeight As Long
        lfSMCaptionFont As LOGFONT
        iMenuWidth As Long
        iMenuHeight As Long
        lfMenuFont As LOGFONT
        lfStatusFont As LOGFONT
        lfMessageFont As LOGFONT
        End Type
 
 
Private Declare Function SystemParametersInfo Lib "user32" Alias "SystemParametersInfoA" (ByVal uAction As Long, ByVal uParam As Long, lpvParam As NONCLIENTMETRICS, ByVal fuWinIni As Long) As Long
'**************************************
 
' Inputs:ADD A COMBO BOX
'
' Returns:Changes the Message box font a
'        nd Windows Caption Font (Title Font).
'
'Assumes:Add a Combo box.
'
'**************************************
 
 
 
Private Sub Combo1_Click()
        Dim ncm As NONCLIENTMETRICS 'NONCLIENTMETRICS to change
        Dim Orincm As NONCLIENTMETRICS 'NONCLIENTMETRICS to replace original
        Dim Returned As Long
        Dim i As Integer
        ncm.cbSize = Len(ncm)
        Returned = SystemParametersInfo(41, 0, ncm, 0) 'get the system NONCLIENTMETRICS
        Orincm = ncm 'store the value of system NONCLIENTMETRICS to use later
        'now to change the font name
        'other functions can be used to change t
        '        he font name
        'but for simplicity i have used asc() &
        '        mid()
 
 
        For i = 1 To Len(Combo1.Text) 'use ncm.lfMenuFont.lfFacename(i) to change menu font
                ncm.lfMessageFont.lfFaceName(i) = Asc(Mid(Combo1.Text, i, 1))
                ncm.lfCaptionFont.lfFaceName(i) = Asc(Mid(Combo1.Text, i, 1))
        Next i
        ncm.lfMessageFont.lfFaceName(i) = 0 'add null at the end of font name
        ncm.lfCaptionFont.lfFaceName(i) = 0
        Returned = SystemParametersInfo(42, 0, ncm, &H1 Or &H2) 'remove &H2 if you don't want to affect all the open windows
        MsgBox "Message & Caption Font Changed to " & Combo1.Text, vbOKOnly, "NILESH"
        Returned = SystemParametersInfo(42, 0, Orincm, &H1 Or &H2) 'replace original font
        MsgBox "Message & Caption Font Replaced to " & StrConv(Orincm.lfCaptionFont.lfFaceName, vbUnicode), vbOKOnly, "NILESH"
End Sub
 
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
        ' Heres a very simple code to change the
        '        system
        ' NONCLIENTMETRICS like the the window t
        '        itle font,
        ' the message font,menu font using VB. Y
        '        ou can also change
        ' other elements like status font etc
        ' in your window only or all the open wi
        '        ndows
        ' like PLUS! or display settings (appear
        '        ance)
        ' also it is possible to underline, stri
        '        kethru fonts in
        ' your window with this code. This code
        '        is very useful
        ' if you are coding a multi-lingual soft
        '        ware.
        ' For more info and more free code send
        '        e-mail.
        ' code by - NILESH P KURHADE
        ' email - [email protected]
        Dim i As Integer
        Show
        ' to flood the combo box with first 10 f
        '        onts
 
 
        For i = 1 To 10 ' or use For i = 1 To Screen.FontCount to flood all the fonts in your pc
                Combo1.AddItem Screen.Fonts(i)
        Next i
End Sub

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Koolsid,

thanks for the code, it works great. Is there a way to modify the font size? I didn't see how to do it.

Do you know if its possible to change the menu font size without changing the system settings? I was playing with your code and it crashed, I had to manually reset my system setting. I don't think my clients would like that, they have no sense of humor or adventure.

Thanks again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wes4dbt

CoolMenu would crash my VB6 IDE everytime I closed the my app.

---

Based on the other code on that site, and the action required by that kind of code, I strongly suspect that subclassing (or "Hooking") is involved.. in which case, the crash is actually likely to be your fault.

I'd recommend reading (at least briefly) a couple of articles from our Classic VB FAQs:

Why is using the 'End' statement (or VB's "stop" button) a bad idea?
How should I close my form/program/class?

si,

You were right, I forgot about the "End" I was using during development. I have never used subclassing or hooking before.

The CollMenu works but if I click the "End" button in my IDE, the IDE crashes. This is very limiting during development because I break out of my program quite often when I'm testing and debugging.

Is there some way around this problem?

Thanks for the help.

si,

I found a download of CoolMenu 1.3 and it solved the IDE crashing prolem.
But I couldn't find any documentation on using CoolMenu.

Thanks for your input